The Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) is a network control framework that enables source and destination endpoints to “reserve” resources, e.g., bandwidth, to establish a data flow between endpoints. The data flow may have a certain quality of service, class, priority, etc. Further, the data flow may involve any type of data including, but not limited to including, audio data, video data, and/or media data.
RSVP may operate in conjunction with routing protocols to reserve resources along a data path between source and destination endpoints. In certain situations, inconsistencies in a network may cause packets and flows to be disturbed or otherwise disrupted. Further, such inconsistencies are more prominent in times of congestion, where packets may be haphazardly dropped. For example, when a router falls behind and/or does not have sufficient bandwidth to handle all calls, packets may be discarded indiscriminately, thereby resulting in substantially all calls being compromised. In general, the ability to properly manage data sessions such as calls in a network environment presents a significant challenge to equipment vendors, service providers, and network operators.